Improvement in oil-cloth-printing machines



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C. HUMMEL.

" Dil-Cloth Printing-Machines.

No. 137,962. ParentedAprivlwnsrs.

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C. HUMMEL. Y Uil-Cloth Printing-Machines. No. 137,962. PatemedApm15,173;

u UNITED STATES PA'rEN'r OFFICE OHARLES ROMMEL, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND WISNER H; TOWNSEND, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN OIL-CL'oTH-PRINTING MAcHiNEs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent Not 13?,962, dated April 15, 1873; application tiled March 8, 1873.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, GHARLEs RoMMnL, of Elizabeth', in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Oil-Cloth-Printing Machine, of which the following is a specification:

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved oilcloth-printing machine, showing arrangement of printing-roller with coloring-rollers; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section on the line c c,- Fig. 3, showing spider-frame of coloring-rollers with boxes attached; and Fig. 3, a horizontal section on the line .r x, Fig. l, showing arrangement of eccentrics and ratchet-wheels for the motion of the cloth and table-frame.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

My invention relates to machines which permit the successive printing of oil-cloth or other fabrics in different colors by means of mechanical appliances; and has for its object the substitution of the hand-coloring of the printingblocks, and the adjustment of the fabrics by such means that the whole apparatus may be driven by steam-power, and the manufacture of oil-cloth and other fabrics be accelerated. My invention consists in lthe arrangement of suitable coloring-rollers with boxes on aspider-frame in such a manner that the requisite number of printingblocks are successively colored and the cloth be carried forward as soon as the printing of the blocks is completed. The shaft of the printing-roller is connected by paWl-and-ratchet arrangements with the printing-bed and movable frame, which regulate the forward motion of the cloth and the return of the supporting-frame at the time required.

In the drawing, A represents the frame of the printing-machine. It is built of wood or other suitable material, of sufcient strength' and size to sustain the different :parts of the machine. B is the printing-roller, in the drawc ing of octagonal4 prismatic form, but may be constructed with any number of sides, according to the colors to be applied.

The roller B and its motion having been patented to me under date of April l1, 1871, requires no further description.

The coloring-rollers C are supported in a spider-frame, D, keyed on shaft a, which rests in suitable bearin gs on the side beams of frame A parallel to the axis ofthe printing-roller B. The rot-ary motion of the spider-frame Dis transmitted by suitable gearing from the main shaft b, from which the printing-roller B is suspended, to shaft a by means of wheels d and-arms e. Arms e are attached at Vtheir ends to pawls f, which rest with one end loosely on shaft a, the other end catching into a' ratchet-Wheel, g, applied rigidly 'to the arms of spider-frame D. Spider-frame I) is provided with as many arms h as coloring-rollers may be-used. The arms It are placed diametrically from the center, and have slots i for the insertion and adjustment of the shafts lc of the coloring-rollers U. Oircular segments l applied to the sides of frame A guide shafts k, that part toward the printing-roller B being formed straight, so that shafts k, gliding along the same, carry the coloring-rollers evenly over the blocks of printing-roller B.

Additional guide-pieces m are by means of springs n carried along the straight parts ot' segments l, giving thereby elasticity to the action of the rollers O in passing over the printing-blocks. Slots t' of arms IL permit the adjustment and flexibility of rollers O. f The spider-frame of the drawing, Fig. 2, shows seven coloring-rollers to correspond to seven blocks of the printing-rollers, the finishingblock or masher requiring no color, as it serves to connect or blend those printed ou the cloth. Levers o, in connection with lugs or projection p applied to the gudgeons of printing-roller B, strike in some suitable manner the leverarms e, so that the same do not act on the ratchet-wheel g, and leave the spider-frame D in position for the passing of the finishing-block Without applying color to the same. The same object may also be reached by constructing the spider-frame with as many rollers as there are blocks on the printing-roller, providing a blind or false roller for the finishingblock. Coloring-rollers D are suspended laterally on the arms h of the spider-frame D, and supplied with Weighted color-boxes g hung on the shafts 7c. Mutilated pinions or gearwheels r, keyed to one side of shafts 7c to mesh into racks of printing-blocks, guide theroller over the same, distributingthe color evenly over the blocks. Projecting lugs s of the color-boxes q at the other side of shafts k, below the smooth side of wheels r, glide with 'them over the smooth frame of printing-roller and prevent the upsetting of the color-boxes q.

The color is adjusted evenly on the rollers in the usual manner by blades or doctors7 ruiming alongside of the same. The boxes may, if required, be divided into two or more parts by vertical partitions, allowing thereby a variety of. colors on one block. The spiderframe is so arranged with the printing roller that the former turns when the latter descends, causing one of the coloring-rollers to run up along the face of the block', the frame then stops till a turn of the printing-roller brings the surface of the next block toward the next coloring-roller, which continues till the masher faces the coloring-rollers, which remain still, by means of the lever arrangement, till the masher has passed, or, in the case of the false roller, glides over the same wit-hout receiving color. After all the blocks of the printingroller B have passed over the coloring-rollers and printed on the cloth or other fabric resting on printing-bed E, below roller B, it is necessary to expose the adjoining part of the fabric to the prin tin g-roller, and feed the cloth in regular succession. For this purpose main shaft b is connected by eccentrics s and pawls Y t, passing along the outside of frame A, with two ratchet-wheels, u and u1, which gear by suitable cog-wheels with cloth-roller F, at end 0f bed-frame. Ratchet-wheels u and u1 have as many teeth as there are printingblocks, ratchet Le being larger than ratchet u1, and loose on the shaft, being therefore carried along, by the pawls t, over the tight ratchet till the printing-roller has completed its revolution. A deep notch of loose ratchet u allows the pawls t to take hold of the tight ratchet u1, turning the cloth-roller F, and with it the movable frame G and the cloth stretched thereon. The transmission of motion from the ratchets to the clothroller must be so calculated that the frame is carried forward the required distance by roller F. The pawl-andratchet arrangement of the cloth-roller carries the movable frame forward; that arranged on the other side with rollers F brings it back again. Eccentric cylinders H and H are applied on shafts a', parallel to the longitudinal axis of frame A on the outside of the same, and guide suitable clamp-levers o and o', which secure the cloth alternately to the movable frame G and the printing-bed E, to secure the proper feeding of the cloth after each revolution of printing roller B. Similar ratchetwheels u2 and a are connected by suitable pawls w with main shaft a, and transmits the motion by cog-wheels to the shafts a and eccentric H and H. The loose ratchets u2 have, instead of one deep notch, as ratchet u, two deep notches, so that when the pawls w enter the first notch, the eccentric cylinders E, of slight-ly greater length than the printingblocks, raisethe ends of clamp-levers o, which press their inner clamp ends tightly on the cloth and carry the same forward as soon as the masher is lifted from the cloth. Pawls w then take hold of the next notch, which turns the short eccentric cylinders H up, pressing the clamp-levers o on the cloth, -securing it on the printing-bed. The turning down of cylinder H releases at the same time levers v, and allows the movable frame U to glide back under the cloth. v

The continuous printing of the blocks, in connection with the corresponding motion of the movable frame and the feeding ot' the cloth, allows an uninterrupted printing of the cloth till the whole piece is finished.

The printing-block may be replaced by those of other patterns, and oil-cloth be manufactured, in shorter time and with less expense than at present.

Having thus described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent-- l. The spider-frame D having arms h and slots i, in connection with ratchet-wheels g, pawls f, arms e, and wheels d, producing motion of frame D, substantially as set forth.

2. Coloring-rollers C, having mutilated pinions r and .weighted boxes q, in connection with segments Z, guide-pieces m, and vsprings n, for coloring printing-blocks, as described.

3. rlhe connection of lever O and lug p of printing-roller B with pawl f to keep spiderframe D at rest for passage of finishing-block, v

as set forth.

4.. The table-motion, produced by eccentrics s, pawls t, ratchet a and u1, in connection with cloth-rollers Fand F and movable frame G, substantially as described.

5. Eccentric cylinders H and H', guiding clamp -levers v and o', in connection with ratchetwheels a2 and ua, pawls w, frame G, and bed E to feed cloth, as set forth.

6. The combination of the parts of the forel going clauses with printing-roller B and frame A, substantially as and for the purposes described.

' CHARLES ROMMEL.

Witnesses:

PAUL GoErEL, WIsNEn H. TowNsEND. 

